Interlude at the River
by Flslp87
Summary: A deleted scene during 3x06 after they stepped outside the cave and before the next episode. Originally written for the Once Upon A Captain Swan Storybook, Vol 2 as a collaboration.


_This deleted scene was written for the Once Upon a Captain Swan Storybook, Vol II in collaboration with gusenitsaa, hollyethecurious, krustybunny, whimsicallyenchantedrose. The cover art was completed by Nicole-Nikla_

 **3x06 Arial**

 **An Interlude at the River**

 _A deleted scene from sometime between the moment outside of the caves where Killian angsts about Neal vowing to never stop fighting for Emma and the next episode where they're all strategizing about finding a way off the island. Rating - T_

"I'm going to fill my canteen," Emma said, turning toward the stream where they'd been getting their fresh water for the duration of their stay in this stupid hell hole.

"You need some company?" Neal asked, quickly getting to his feet.

It was only with the greatest difficulty that Emma refrained from sighing in exasperation. "No, I'll be fine," she said brusquely. "Be back in a few."

Emma snagged her canteen as she walked past the hard patch of ground where she'd laid her bedroll, noting that the stupid thing was already at least half full. The truth was she just needed to get away for a few minutes, needed a chance to be by herself. The last few days had made her head spin, and she barely even knew which way was up anymore.

It was bad enough a couple of bungling idiots had kidnapped her son and delivered him up to, as Hook called him, the bloody demon. Now she had to deal with all the emotions Neal being alive dredged back up.

And then there was Hook. That kiss had been….well far more of a big deal than she'd ever admit. He was a _hell_ of a good kisser, and that kiss had made her feel things, want things more than she ever had before in her life. It was just a kiss! Just a releasing of some of the sexual tension she couldn't deny had been building up between them ever since the beanstalk. But it hadn't worked as expected. It hadn't diffused the tension, just amped it up even more. If she were honest with herself (which this stupid island kind of made her be), it had taken all of her strength to step away from him rather than dive in for round two…and then follow that wherever it might have led.

Emma groaned, walking quickly to the stream, undoing the stopper and submerging the canteen in the crisp, cool water. If all that wasn't bad enough, Hook had to go and complicate things even further with his confession. He had _feelings_ for her? It wasn't supposed to be that way! That kiss was supposed to be just a physical thing, just two people who are attracted to each other having a little fun, not…well, what it had turned into.

Suddenly, Emma heard a branch snap. Whirling around, she saw she was no longer alone…

~~~cs~~~

 _Bloody demon and his sick games,_ Hook muttered to himself as he took another pull from his flask.

He knew going into that infernal cave would be dangerous, but he hadn't expected just how treacherous the result would be. Sure, they'd been able to free Baelfire - _Neal_ \- but it had cost them. In his experience, the truth often did; better to stick with the subterfuge and deception that a pirate's life denoted. Although...

Hook did not regret the words he had spoken. Could not bring himself to wish to take them back. Naturally, it would have been preferable to not have the audience they'd had when such declarations had been given, but even still, he was gratified that she knew, that they all did. Though, such gratification did not mean his soul had been completely unburdened by the confession.

 _It was just a kiss_ , she'd said. Just a kiss to her, nothing more.

No. That wasn't true. Swan may have a way with parsing out lies in others, but she was dreadful at passing off her own. Her eyes always betrayed her, just as they had done in the cave.

There had been that moment after his confession when he was sure she'd been about to say something to him. Right before the damned Prince and Princess had spilled their metaphorical guts, not that he could hold any animosity against them for their confessions held deep burdens of their own.

Whatever Emma had been about to say to him had been lost to the moment, and she hadn't uttered more than a word or two in his direction since they'd freed Bae… er, Neal.

Neal.

The man had not even been required to give a confession, and yet it seemed a serum of truth had been let loose within in the very atmosphere of the blasted island.

I'm never gonna stop fighting for you… never.

Would this place ever cease to over complicate his life?

Before he could tumble down much further into his spiraling thoughts a rustle in the bushes towards the stream caught his attention. Lost boys? Pan paying him another visit? He was in no mood for any more games.

Drawing his sword as he crept through the brush he paused when his quarry came into view. Emma. Torn with indecision, he shifted his weight as he determined whether or not to make his presence known. The island, however, decided for him as the crack of a snapping twig under his foot caused her to turn suddenly. Wide, jade eyes meeting cautious blue.

~~~cs~~~

"Hook," his name came out breathless as if seeing him had taken her breath away. It had, but he didn't have to know that so clearing her throat, she tried again, "Hook." This time it came out sounding harsher than she had intended causing just the slightest shift in his expression. There's more going on behind those eyes she thought, but as soon as the thought appeared she pushed it away to be dealt with at another time.

When he hadn't said anything after a few moments, she lifted her canteen taking a long, cool drink of water, allowing the healing powers of the liquid soothe over the dry tissues of her throat. "Would you like some?" she edged closer to him and offered him the canteen.

Sheathing his sword and keeping his blue eyes locked on her, Killian took measured steps until he was within touching distance of the canteen. Slowly, he grasped it, and when his fingertips barely grazed the tips of hers, she felt the heat zip along her skin.

She watched as he lifted the canteen, turning it so that the drink he took seemed to be from the exact spot where she had just moments ago laid her lips. She watched as he licked a drop of water from the corner of his mouth and subconsciously licked hers in the same place. The realization of what she had done only coming when she noticed the flair of interest in his eyes.

"Any other sign of Pan or the Lost Boys?" Stupid question Emma, she chided herself. Of course, there's no sighting of Pan or his followers, but the real question she needed to ask was stuck. Unwilling to be voiced, for the answers might be too frightening.

"No Swan. No sign of them." He moved close to the river and moving his sword aside, sat on a rock, before locking in on her with his gaze. "You alright there, Swan? You left rather abruptly."

Emma knew it needed to be done.

~~cs~~~

"Why are you really here?" His eyebrows went up and he watched her until she looked away, her gaze shifting back to the safety of the river.

"A green-eyed lass reminded me I could be a part of something," he replied. "Thought I'd give it a try."

"If you'd been so moved by my speech you wouldn't have stolen that bean and left all of us to die."

Emma retorted. She held his gaze and this time it was he who looked away first. "Why did you turn around?"

"What you _really_ want to know is if I'm here for you."

 _Yes._

"I _want_ to know if I can trust you, Hook. If you're just here because you think it will win you brownie points-"

"Brownie points?" His eyebrows furrowed as he struggled with the term. Emma sighed and tossed a stone into the river as she considered her next words. She picked up another and his hand caught her arm firmly.

"Don't-" He warned. "You'll draw some of the beasties-"

"Look," she said, dropping the stone on the shore, "if you _are_ here for me I need you to understand something. Henry is my priority. I cannot be distracted by-"

"I'm not here for you," he interrupted, "not entirely." She stayed quiet to let him talk and he shifted, shoving up the sleeve of his jacket with a sigh of exasperation, letting her see the ink that she'd first glimpsed on the beanstalk. "For centuries I've lived for nothing but my vengeance. To destroy the beast that took my love. You know this."

"Rumpelstiltskin."

"Aye, but there was a time I had the chance for something more. Her child near fell from the heavens onto the deck of my ship. I protected him, hid him for a time. But he discovered that I was the pirate who took his mother away and he crushed my heart with a few words. I turned him over to Pan."

Emma's eyes widened but she said nothing.

"I do not intend to make the same mistake again. I do not intend to leave another child in the clutches of the demon of Neverland. Do you believe me?"

She was already searching his eyes for the lie and found nothing.

"Yeah," the words seem to surprise even her. "Yeah, I do."

~~~cs~~~

Her quick affirmation wasn't what he expected, though when it came to Emma, he was learning that even open books would contain the occasional surprise. His face must have shown his mind, because Emma scoffed and turned back to the water.

"I can tell when people are lying to me, remember?"

"Aye," He rubbed his hand to his throat, "I remember. I also remember you accusing my chosen lot in life as reason to betray you and your family as recently as a day ago. You'll have to pardon the hesitation to your perception of me."

Emma laughed softly, "Do you always use as many words as possible when you talk?"

Killian felt his mouth tic upwards. "I've yet to hear a lady complain about it. Perhaps you'll be my first?"

Her face flickered and changed, and he regretted his fondness for cheek. "It works to my advantage, but the root of it is pride. I come from meager beginnings, so when my brother and I managed to get into the Royal Naval Academy, we took as much education as they could give us."

Whatever distress that had caused her slink further behind her walls, ebbed away as a soft smile curved her mouth. "I can understand that."

A curious thing, to feel the heart pound for such a small movement. To know she was smiling at him, for an experience they both lived through. His own lips tingled as another memory sifted through his pounding blood.

 _Just a kiss…_

It wasn't just anything, _they_ weren't just anything; he knew it as easily as he knew the _Jolly_. What he couldn't figure was _what_ they were, or would be. It wasn't love, not for either of them. Nevertheless, he knew his heart well and knew it was determined to sail the very current that would lead to love. But he needed direction, needed a waypoint from her to chart these new waters properly. Which meant he needed her to peek out from behind those walls, a feat more difficult than a kraken laden maelstrom. He pulled his water flask from one of the many pockets of his coat, kneeling down and set to top it off while he mustered out an approach to lure a princess from hiding.

Something firm tapped his shoulder so he turned; Emma was holding out her own canteen to him, "Since you're down there?"

~~~cs~~~

"My lady's wish is my command," he said, taking her canteen and bowing, even from his kneeling position.

She laughed. "You're ridiculous."

He leaned down filled her canteen to the brim, replaced the stopper and then handed it up to her. "Perhaps so, Swan, but you needn't hesitate to trust me," he said, his face utterly serious. "You _will_ get your son back and we _will_ get off this island and back to your home. All of us."

"You really think so?"

He nodded firmly. "I know so. My sword, my wit, my knowledge of our enemy are always at your disposal, and with all of us united, the bloody demon doesn't stand a chance."

She looked closely at him for another moment and then smiled. "Thank you, Hook."

He took a swaggering step forward, giving her his best smolder. "Now Swan, yesterday you expressed your gratitude in a far more pleasant manner. Might I hope for a repeat?"

He wiggled his eyebrows flirtatiously and she laughed. "You don't give up, do you?"

"Why should I give up when the reward, should I succeed, is so very, very sweet?"

She laughed again before taking a swig from her canteen.

"Emma," he said after a moment. "What was it you were going to say, love?"

"What?"

"In the caves," Killian said. "After my confession, you stepped toward me. What were you going to say?"

Emma looked away, turned back toward the camp and took a few steps. Finally, she turned around and looked back at him. "Just…I mean now's not the time to analyze feelings and all of that, but…maybe it was more than a kiss to me too. Maybe it was just the adrenaline, or the humid jungle or needing to let off a little stress or whatever, but, I mean, I don't regret it, okay?"

He felt his grin grow. "So, what you're saying, love," he said, swagger turned up to ten, "is that neither of us could handle it?"

She laughed. "Come on Romeo, let's head back to camp before Neal sends out a search party."

He fell into step beside her, but before they broke through the trees, she stopped and turned back toward him. "And just for the record, I'm glad you're here."

He beamed down at her. "As am I, love. Now what say we return to your family and find a way to destroy this demon once and for all?"

~fin

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